Oregon Country Fair

Nowhere in Oregon (or anywhere in the US) will you experience a fair like this. The country fair is a fair of sorts I suppose, but also a celebration, a concert, an eatery, a flea market, and a week long high you never have to come down from (if that's what you're into,...)

For me, it's like being on another planet. Hippies, yuppies, crazies, druggies, dreamers, and anybody else who has purchased a $17 ticket, all meet near Eugene Oregon underneath the lush decidious trees and in the dry meadows of the "fairgrounds". You're not going to find amusement rides and and rodeos as this fair. Instead, keep you eyes open for the drum circle, the falafel booth, the alternative energy park, partial nudity, the musical entertainment that is scattered amongst the many paths and stages, and the frequent, impromptu parade that could spontaneously begin at any moment.

Maggie and I went down this year to see a band we like, Eleven Eyes, and witness the general chaos that is the Oregon Country Fair.


This guy was rocking his own cazba during the Eleven Eyes show. I didn't think people danced this crazy before noon,...

I, Maggie, and Smiles hangin' out on the lawn in front of the Eleven Eyes show.

Eleven Eyes proudly displayed their unique electro-funk-jazz for the morning crowd at the main stage of the fair.
Maggie and I ate tempura (deep fried vegetables) for lunch. We sat on the ground at this very clean table to eat it. At this particular eatery, you had the option to stand in front of people and sing for your food. I avoided the singing bit, even after persistent begging by many patrons for my best Axl Rose and Jon Bon Jovi impersonations.

They had mothers once,...

The drugs make you want to bite your own tounge off, but they also make it taste like melon, so you smile and chomp away,...

My bro hydrates (left), while Kodak rethinks the tie-died head band idea.

Oysters

I had never shucked oysters until recently, but let me tell you, I now understand why they are so expensive when you buy them at a restaurant. Those little guys put up quite a fight! The labor required to put just a few ounces of food into your mouth is daunting.

40 minutes of back-breaking prying, gouging, and slicing, Blair and I finally finished shucking the last of over 20 oysters. Maggie took over after the shucking and prepared a glorious meal for us all!

Conquests in Landscape Engineering

This post is merely to prove that given the proper amount of time, credit card purchases, and trips to the nursery supply, I can build things. I was assisted with construction of this block path only by the occasional consultation with my civil engineer roommate, and some block cutting provided by a coworker.

Immediately upon completion: The rain helped wash the sand between the cracks.

Just in time for a backyard party!